Mouth
by Wolcott
Summary: At the Lonely Hearts Club dinner, some Warblers watch Sam eat.


Written because I am in a slump right now with _Warbler in the Woods_ and I can't stand that the show is treating Sam's beautiful mouth like it's a bad thing.

* * *

Sam showed up to Breadstix alone, quietly seating himself at a table behind Artie and Brittany and hoping to go unnoticed. While he didn't really think he _needed_ to attend a Lonely Hearts Club dinner, he wanted to support Kurt with the rest of Glee kids.

The Warblers were, of course, talented, and the song they sang was appropriate for the event. Sam applauded politely when it was over, planning to duck out once he finished his basket of breadsticks.

He picked up the warm stick of bread and sniffed it, taking in the delicious, garlicky smell. While people might have teased him about his big mouth, it certainly came in handy at times like these. His lips parted and he slowly eased the stick into his mouth. He sank his teeth deep into the soft bread, savoring it. There was a weird choking noise, and he looked up.

A Warbler was staring at him. Sam ripped the remaining bread away from his mouth and chewed.

"Sup?" he grunted, the words almost inaudible through all the bread.

The Warbler coughed again, looking around and scratching his head. "Uh, is that, uh, that, like, an _Avatar_ keychain?"

Sam gulped his bread and looked down at his bag. "Oh, yeah. It's the _Toruk_, or as the Sky People call it, the Great Leonopteryx. You like _Avatar_?"

The boy smiled and sat down on the chair across from him. "Totally. It was _so_ cool how the guy, like, bonded with it and stuff."

"Yeah," said Sam, nodding. "Only six people have ever been able to do it."

He stuffed the remainder of his breadstick into his mouth, and the boy's eyes widened. The boy grinned and gestured to another Warbler to join them.

"What?" the other Warbler asked as he approached them.

"This is, uh…" the boy looked at him."

"Sam," he said, swallowing.

"Right, Sam. Sam, uh, knows a lot about _Avatar_."

The other Warbler squinted and frowned. "As in _The Last Airbender_?"

"As in James Cameron's _masterpiece,_ man!" said Sam.

He picked up another breadstick and took a bite. The other Warbler's expression became vaguely blank as he pulled up a chair and sat down next to his friend.

"Do you, like, speak any Na'vi?" the other Warbler asked.

"_Srane_!" Sam said, his mouth still full.

A waitress came up to them, smiling politely. "Would you gentleman like some more breadsticks?"

Sam wanted to shake his head and decline, but the boys across from him shouted, "YES, YES WE WOULD." before he had the chance.

Soon the table was restocked with warm, steamy breadsticks and couple more Warblers had joined him to geek out.

"Aw, man," he said between chews. "I hardly ever get to talk about this stuff. My girlfriend usually just rolls her eyes and shuts me up whenever I get going."

"Girlfriend?" one of the Warbler newcomers asked, a slight twinge of what might have been disappointment in his voice.

Sam swallowed. "Yeah, Quinn. You guys might remember her, actually. She sang that duet with me at Sectionals."

"God damn it, she was _pretty_," a Warbler snapped, clenching his fists.

Sam took another bite. "Huh?"

"I, uh, I mean, I remember her," the Warbler said, smiling. "She was very pretty."

"Oh, Quinn's _totally_ the prettiest girl in school," Sam grinned. "Making me the _luckiest guy_ in school."

The Warblers all laughed, and Sam laughed with them. He had worked hard to become popular at McKinley, but it was never as easy as this. These guys seemed to hang onto his every word.

A Warbler sighed and rested his chin in his hand. "Then why isn't she here? It is Valentine's day, after all."

Sam shrugged. "She got mono."

The Warblers irrupted into oohs and aahs of sympathy. Encouraged by their support Sam began to confess his misgivings about Quinn and Finn, and what feelings might linger between them. The Warblers seemed to understand perfectly, nodding at all of his concerns.

"Girls _suck_," said one of the boys, triggering another to bury his face in his hands.

"You just _had_ to say that _word_!" the boy muttered through his fingers.

Sam frowned, confused, but then Kurt and Blaine walked up to them.

"The restaurant is closing, you guys," said Kurt, prompting groans of disappointment.

"We were gonna get some frozen yogurt at the TCBY a few blocks from here, though," said Blaine, "If you guys would care to join us."

The Warbler who first sat down with Sam (he really needed to catch their names) stood up. "That is _literally_ the greatest idea I have _ever_ heard."

"Oh, yeah," said another. "Sam, you should totally get frozen yogurt with us!"

"I don't know, you guys," said Sam, holding up his hands. "It's kinda late and I'm pretty full."

The boys looked at each other in desperation, until one of them started chanting.

"_Frozen yogurt_! _Frozen yogurt_!"

The other boys grinned and joined in, pumping their fists. _"FROZEN YOGURT, FROZEN YOGURT, FROZEN YOGURT_!"

Sam laughed and nodded. "Ok, ok, I'll go. Man, you guys are awesome. I should have gone to Dalton."

"Yes," breathed a dazed-looking Warbler. "We would have made you our king."

At the TCBY, Sam, Kurt and Blaine sat on one side of the table while his entourage of Warblers gathered around the other, each stirring their cups of yogurt absent-mindedly. Sam had wanted a small cup as well, but someone insisted on buying him a large cone whose swirling yogurt struggled to stay upright.

"Did you know," said Sam, licking his fingers, "That originally, the store was called This Can't Be Yogurt, but now it's The Country's Best Yogurt?"

The boys smiled and shook their heads.

"That is _fascinating,_ Sam," a Warbler sighed.

Sam grinned and brought his cone up to lips, closing his eyes. He dipped his tongue into the base of the swirl, and slowly twisted his cone around as his licked it all the way to the top. He opened his eyes to see Blaine gazing straight at him, his mouth hanging slightly open.

"You, uh, you have a little…" Blaine pointed to the corner of his mouth.

"Oh, do I? Thanks." Sam pressed his thumb to his cheek and dragged it across his lower lip. His tongue flickered out to catch the white drip trailing down his finger.

A Warbler put down his cup and stood. "I have to go take care of something," he said before heading to the bathroom.

Kurt furrowed his brow and squinted at them, then turned to Sam, and then to Blaine. He slammed his cup of fat-free frozen yogurt down onto the table.

"You guys are absolutely _disgusting_." With that, Kurt stormed out, Blaine close behind him, apologizing profusely, but for what Sam didn't know.

"What's his problem?" Sam asked.

"Nothing," said one of the Warblers, smiling. "After you're done, would you like a lollipop?"

"Yeah, sure!" Sam said, and took another lick of his cone.


End file.
